Apparatus for the manufacture of excelsior



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

D. T. H. MAOKINNON.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFAGTURE 0P EXGELSIOR.

No. 388,890. Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

D. T. H. MAGKINNON APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF EXGELSIOR.

Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

N, 9512854 Fhcluhhognphcr, wane-man, D.C.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

D. T. H. MAGKINNON.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF EXOELSIORQ No. 388,890. Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

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UNITED STATES DUNCAN T. H. MAOKINNON,

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OF MENASHA, TVISGONSIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 388,890, dated $eptember e, 1888.

Application filed August 3, 1886.

To an whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Duncan T. H. MAOKIN- NON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Menasha, in the county of Winnebago and State of Visconsiu, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Excelsior, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the machinery and appliances and their adaptation to perform the several operations required in the handling, sorting, and cleaning of the excelsior from the time it leaves the excelsior-machine until it is deposited in the press,where it is formed into bales and made ready for shipment to the various points where its use is required.

The object of the improvement is to substitute mechanical appliances for inanuallabor, to lessen the cost of the manufacture, and to produce a superior article of excelsior. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Similar letters and figures of reference indicate like parts in the several views.

The several pieces of mechanism combined in this invention consist of an eXcelsior-machine, a belt-carrier, a belt-elevator, a screen, a bailing-press, and a line of shafting, from which several machines are driven.

The several devices are shown in Figure 1 as being located upon two floors of a building, the door 1 and joists 2, which separate the upper from the lower room, being shown in section. The press and screen are entirely above said floor, the horizontal belt-carrier and main driving-shaft below it, and the excelsiorniachine and elevator partly above and partly below it.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the several devices which are combined in theinvention, representing a side elevation of an excelsior-machine, a belt'elevator, and a press, a front view of a screen, and an end view of a horizontal belt-carrier and the main driving-shaft. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the location of the several devices (the line of shafting excepted) relative to each other, the parts shown in dotted lines being below the floor 1 and those in full lines above it. Fig. 3 is an elevation representing the several devices as seen Serial No. $69,864. (No model.)

from the front of the excelsior-machine and the front end of the press; and Fig. 4, an elevation of the sameparts as seen in looking at them in the reverse direction. The view of the parts below the floor,consisting of the main line of shafting 3 and the lower portion of the excelsiornnachine, is omitted in Figs. 3 and 4-. The several machines are driven by belts from pulleys upon the main line of shafting 3, (shown in Fig. 1,) connecting with pulleys upon the several machines.

The eXcelsior-machine is of the class known as reciprocating, and consists of its frame 4,within which a plate, a, is reoiprocated vertically upon the ways 4 by means of its connec tion 9', connecting it with the crankwvheel 9, said wheel being revolved by means of the belt 9,which connects it with the main driving-shaft 3. The cap of the frame 4 is broken away in Fig. 2 in order to more fully show the ways 4".

Upon the plate 0 is secured a wide knife, a, and numerous narrow and pointed cutters, b, the latter scoring the block of wood which is presented for their action upon it into numerous narrow vertical strips, and the former removing a thin shaving across the entire face of the block, and producing thereby by their continued reciprocation innumerable narrow shavings, which are known to the trade as excelsior. The width of the shavings is governed by the width of the spaces between the cutters b, whereby different grades of excelsior are produced.

Upon thefront side of the excelsionmachine arejournaled feed-rolls 11, the boxes of the lower roll being rigidly attached to the frame 4, and those of the upper one permitted a. limited vertical movement thereon, said movement being produced by means of pinions upon the shaft (1, which engage with racks upon boxes (2, in which the upper feed-roll is journaled. By the revolution of the handwhcel cl by the operator the upper feed-roll is raised or lowered for the purpose of inserting or removing from between the feed-rolls 11 the block of wood 10. A. continuous ro tary motion is imparted to the rolls 11 by means of the gears 1l,worm-wheels l2, shaft 12, and gear 12, the latter gearing with a worinwheel upon the crank-shaft 9",whereby the block 10 is continually pressed against the plate a for the purpose of receiving the action of the cutters a b.

The horizontal belt-carrier and the elevator are formed in a similar manner, and consist of a case of wood or other material, 5 and 6, re spectively, and of the required size for the amount of excelsior to be handled, and also of the length necessary for its transfer to the desired point. Within each case are two pulleys, 5" 5 and 6" 6", respectively, suitably supported for their revolution and carrying belts 5 and 6, of a width adapted to the width of their respective cases. The direction in which they travel is indicated by the arrows.

Attached to the belt 6 of the elevator at suitable intervals are blocks or buckets 6, which are for the purpose of retaining the exeelsior thereon and insuring its continuous forward movement with the belt. These buckets are usually unnecessary when the belt-carrier runs in a nearly horizontal direction.

The horizontal carrier should be located for receiving the excelsior as it falls from the cut ters a b, an opening, 5, through the floor 1 permitting it to fall upon the belt 5 and be delivered by it to the elevator-belt 6. v

Below the floor, in Fig. 3, the cover of the case 6 of the elevator is shown as being broken away for the purpose of showing the manner of delivering excelsior from the horizontal to elevator belt.

In Fig. 1 the side of the elevator-case near its upper end is broken away for the purpose of showing more plainly the elevator-belt and buckets,and in Fig. 4itis so shown for the same purpose. In using it an opening is left near the upper end above the screen only for discharging thereon and none under it, as shown in Fig. 4.

By referring to Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that by extending the horizontal belt-carrier toward theleft any desired number of excelsior-machines may be located for the delivery of their product to it, even to the full capacity of the screen and press. Should the number of them be few,however, the horizontal carrier can be dispensed with, the elevator extended below the floor 1, and the exeelsiormachines located for the delivery of their product directly to the elevator.

The screen 7 is formed of numerous narrow strips of wood or metal, 7,which are placed parallel with but at a distance from each other, thereby leaving spaces between them through which dust and fine chips fall. The screen is placed with one extremity of the strips resting on the hopper 8 of the press and the other supported above it, so as to give to the screen an inclination of the strips 7 toward the presshopper of from forty-five to seventy-five degrees from a horizontal plane, thereby permitting the excelsior to readily slide down the strips into the hopper as it is thrown thereon from the elevator.

The press adapted for use in this combination is one of that class known as a continuous press. It consists of a heavy frame of timbers, S, inclosing a rectangular chamber, 22, the transverse area of it being shown by the dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4, which also indicate the outline of the bale of excelsior levers, 21",which are fulcrumed upon bars 21,

said bars being supported in the posts 21.

At one extremity of the levers 21 and over the hopper 8 is a packing-board, 23. At the other extremity of the lower lever is a vertical bar, f, through amortise in which said lever passes loosely. Under this last-named point a girt, g, is supported. The vertical barf being heavy, its normal position is down with the lower lever, 21", projecting through this mortise above named and resting on the girt 9. At each revolution of the crankshaft 18 the connecting-rod 19', coming in contact with the lower end of the bar f, raises it and depresses the packing-board 23, said board being depressed while the follower 20 is near the limit of it's backward movement. The bar fis guided in a nearly vertical direction, as the revolution of the crank-shaft elevates it by its passing through a mortise in the cap 24 upon the tall posts of the rear end of the press-frame.

The duty of the packing-board 23 is to compress, in combination with the traverser e, into the chamber 22, and between the follower 20 and the preceding bale the material which has fallen into the hopper during the elevation of said board. Following this action occurs the forward movement of the follower 20, compressing still further the material, until the bale is of the desired size, when the wire ties t, having been previously inserted, are secured, the finished bale is gradually ejected from the chamber, and the formation of its successor commenced and continued in the same manner. The press is driven from the main line of shafting by the belt 8', connecting it with the pulley 14 upon one extremity of the shaft 15, its other extremity having a heavy balance-wheel, 14, upon it. By means of the intermediate gearing shown the desired slow speed is given to the crankshaft 18, from which the follower 20 is reciproeated.

It'will be observed that the elevator-belt 6 is run in the opposite direction from the usual method. It is run with considerable speed, whereby the excelsior is thrown from it into the air with force, thereby allowing a more complete separation of dust and fine chips from it before it reaches the screen. The

screen-strips are located for the reception of the excelsior in a vertical plane at right angles with the line of travel of the elevator, whereby the dust and fine chips are induced to fall through the intervening spaces, while the long shavings slide down them into the presshopper.

I am aware that a combined elevator and screen have been used for elevating, mixing, and screening excelsior; but, the slats forming it lying in a direction transverse to its line of travel, the long shavings of the exeelsior become broken by them, tangled, and wound about them, causing a waste of material and a loss of time in clearing the slats of the tangled mass.

The excelsiormachines may be of other styles, have rotary, reciprocating,or stationary cutters, and other styles of presses may be used in combination with the carrier, elevator, and screen, and the number of excelsior-machines, carriers, elevators, or screens may be increased as the necessities of the case de mand, as I do not wish to limit my improve ment to the identical machines or their location which is here represented.

By the use of this improvement the excelsior is thoroughly shaken and freed from dust and fine chips, thus producing asuperior article, and in the use of the several devices the entire labor of cleaning, handling, and baling, with the exception ofinserting and tying the wire bale-ties t, is performed by mechanical appliances instead of manual labor and in a more complete and satisfactory manner.

Having described myinvention,whatIclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A. screen for the separation of the dust and chips from excelsior, formed of strips of wood or metal placed parallel with but at a distance from each other, thereby forming spaces between them, one end of said screenstrips being elevated at an angle of from fortyfive to seventy-five degrees with a horizontal plane, in combination with an elevator having an opening in its case near its lower extremity for the reception of exeelsior and one near its upper extremity for its discharge upon the screen, and means for the operation of said elevator, the vertical plane in which it runs and that of the strips forming the screen being at right angles with each other, substantially as described.

2. In a plant or apparatus for the manufacture ofeXcelsior, the combination of one or more excelsior-machiues, an elevator-belt having buckets attached and running within a case, said case having openings near both extremities thereof, the lower for the reception ofexcelsior and the upper one for its discharge, and means for feeding the excelsior from the machine to the elevator, a screen formed of parallel strips producing alternate strips and spaces, their vertical plane being at right angles to that in which said elevator runs, one end of the screen-strips resting on the hopper of a baling-press, the other elevated above it at an angle from a horizontal plane of from forty-five to seventy-five degrees, the screen being adapted in position to receive the excelsior as itis ejected from the elevator and conduct it into the hopper aforesaid, and a press for the formation of bales of the excelsior, all combined and operating substantially as described.

3. In a plant or apparatus for the manufacture of excelsior, the combination of one or more excelsior-machines, a horizontal belt-carrier running within a case and located for receiving the product of said machines, an elevator, its belt having buckets attached and running within a case, said case having openings near both extremities thereof arranged to receive the excelsior from the carrier and discharge the same, a screen formed of parallel strips, producing alternate strips and spaces, their vertical plane being at right angles to that in which said elevator runs, one end of the screen-strips resting on the hopper ofa balingpress, the other elevated above it at an angle of from forty-five to seventy-five degrees with a horizontal plane, the screen being adapted in position to receive the excelsior as it is ejected from the elevator and conduct it into the hopper aforesaid, and a press for the formation into bales of the excelsior, all combined and operating substantially as set forth.

DUNCAN T. H. MACKINNON.

\Vitnesses:

G. F. AUeUs'rIN, O. V. DONALDSON. 

